'Stolen from us': Record WNBA season ends on foul note after coach blasts officiating
New York won 67-62 over Minnesota, capping a record-setting 2024 season
A record-breaking season for the WNBA ended in controversy after the New York Liberty won the championship in a game Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve says was "stolen" from them by questionable officiating.
"It's a shame that officiating had such a hand in a series like this," Reeve said in a news conference after Sunday's Game 5, which New York won 67-62 in overtime.
New York trailed by two in regulation when Breanna Stewart was fouled with 5.2 seconds left. After a lengthy video review, Stewart calmly hit two free throws to tie the game at 60. Minnesota had challenged the foul call, and after the game Reeve still questioned it, saying the title was stolen from her team.
"That was not a foul. That call should have been reversed on that challenge. If we sent that clip in... they would have told us that it was marginal contact. No foul. Guaranteed," Reeve said, adding that she was aware there would be headlines about her complaining.
"Bring it on, because this sh-t was stolen from us."
I’m sorry but that wasn’t a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battled tested game. 🤦🏾♂️
—@KingJamesThey lowkey cheated for NY but I get it lol.
—@isaiahthomasRefs called this game like they knew the assignment in the 2nd half boy. Great game .
—@Dame_LillardReeve wasn't the only one who questioned the call, as basketball greats LeBron James, Damian Lillard and Isaiah Thomas chimed in on X.
"I'm sorry but that wasn't a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battled tested game," wrote James.
"They lowkey cheated for NY but I get it lol," wrote Thomas.
"Refs called this game like they knew the assignment in the 2nd half boy. Great game," wrote Lillard.
When Liberty coach Sandy Brondello was later questioned about Reeve's comments in the same press conference, she said she thought the reffing was "pretty fair," which drew chuckles from the audience.
Brondello added that there had to be "give and take," acknowledging her own issues with the referees. Brondello had previously blasted the officiating after their loss in Game 4, which ended 82-80.
"All we want is fair, OK. So if we are getting hit, that's a foul. You know, I'm one of the nicest bloody coaches in this league, but this pisses me off. Just be fair," Brondello said Friday.
Historic season
The Liberty's win — the first in franchise history — marked the end of a long odyssey for the team, which was the only one of the original WNBA teams not to have won a title. As the New York Times points out, they've been trying for a quarter of a century.
They had been this far five times before, losing each time, including last season. Some of the great Liberty players of the past, like Teresa Weatherspoon and Sue Wicks, were in the sellout crowd on Sunday to see the team win.
The series has been a fitting conclusion to a record-breaking season for the league. All five games came down to the last few possessions and included two overtime games and a last-second shot, all of which have led to record ratings.
The first three games each had over a million viewers on average, with the audience growing for each contest. They have also had huge crowds in attendance.
Film director and Liberty fan Spike Lee was courtside over an hour before tipoff chatting with the media while wearing his Sabrina Ionescu jersey. Once Ionescu finished warming up pregame, the pair had a brief exchange and hugged.
Lee was part of a sellout crowd of 18,090 that helped this series set both the overall attendance record for a WNBA Finals as well as the average attendance mark.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from the Associated Press
